Daily Lessons for Teaching The Aeneid

Lesson 1 (from Chapter 1)

Objective

Chapter 1

The Aeneid is an epic poem, or a long narrative poem, that tells the adventures of a hero who has a great effect on his or her people or country. Two important features of the beginning of an epic poem are the statement the author makes about the subject matter of the poem will be and an invocation to the Muse to help the author write the poem well.

The objective of this lesson is to identify and examine these two features in The Aeneid and to practice using them in the creation of new epic poetry.

Lesson

Tasks, Ideas, Challenges, and Homework

1) For class discussion: Have small groups of students examine the opening of The Aeneid and identify what Virgil says his topic is. Hold a class discussion in which students identify the particular "warfare" and "man of war" about whom Virgil will be...